Chapter 232: Battle of Bashu
After the ceremony, envoys from various countries said goodbye and left one after another.
Although the vision of the Jiuzhou Ding was quite shocking, it still did not change the views of the envoys from various countries on the Kingdom of Yue. They believed that it was just a barbaric country and was not enough to pose any threat to the countries in the Central Plains.
Not to mention the Qin State, even the Chu State did not take the newly born Yue State seriously.
And this,
This is exactly what Qin Mo wanted to see.
…
Qin State, Xianyang.
"Did Shang Jun gain anything from this trip? What about the Kingdom of Yue?" King Zheng of Qin asked curiously.
"In the eyes of my subjects, the newly born Yue State is very similar to the Qin State more than a hundred years ago."
"Oh, what do you mean?" King Qin suddenly became interested.
More than a hundred years ago, the Qin State had been in chaos for four generations since Duke Mu of Qin, and its strength had fallen to the bottom.
It was almost destroyed by the State of Wei.
Later, Duke Xiao of Qin reused Shang Yang and decisively implemented comprehensive reforms, which led to the revival of the Qin State and laid an extremely solid foundation for Qin's ambition to unify the world.
"The State of Yue was founded by a barbarian tribe, and its people are tough and warlike. The king, Qin Mo, is also ambitious. He has a group of capable ministers and countless extraordinary people to assist him. As long as the State of Yue is given enough time, it will surely rise up and become a hegemon in the Warring States Period." Shang Jun's eyes were indeed vicious.
Even though Qin Mo had covered it up in advance, the careful Shang Jun still managed to see through it.
"What a pity..." Shang Jun shook his head.
"What a pity?"
"It's a pity that Yue State was established too late, and Qin State unified the world within just a dozen years. Before Yue State could rise, the world situation had already been determined. How could Yue State have the opportunity to rise?" said Shang Jun.
“Well said!”
The King of Qin was overjoyed, "No matter how much potential the Kingdom of Yue has, there is no time left. It is better to have a stillborn baby."
"Even so, I still suggest that the royal court should strengthen the defense of Bashu and send a large army to prevent the invasion of Yue." Shang Jun really did his duty. "Yelang has been destroyed by Yue."
The King of Qin frowned, "Didn't Shang Jun say that the Yue army is not organized and still adopts the most backward tribal conscription system? Does it really dare to invade the land of Bashu?"
"It's always right to be more cautious."
What Shang Jun couldn't see through was not the State of Yue, but Qin Mo, the Duke of Yue. He always felt that the man was too dangerous.
"I understand, my king."
Qin Wangzheng did not make a clear statement, "Shang Jun has worked hard on the journey, please go back and rest."
"promise!"
Shang Jun sighed in his heart, feeling a little lonely.
After all, King Zheng of Qin was not King Xiaogong of Qin, and he was not the Lord Shang of the past after all.
A new emperor appoints his own ministers.
Although Shang Yang was still a pillar of the Qin State, his influence on the King of Qin was very limited, especially in government affairs, he was basically unable to influence the King of Qin's judgment.
The King of Qin's confidant was the newly appointed Prime Minister Wei Liao.
Sure enough, as soon as Shang Jun left the palace, Wei Liao was summoned into the palace by the King of Qin to discuss matters.
"What do you think of Shang Yang's suggestion, Prime Minister?" asked the King of Qin.
Wei Liao is a smart man.
If the King of Qin agreed with Shang Yang's strategy, he would not have invited him into the palace.
After thinking for a while, Wei Liao said, "The battle to destroy Wei is at its most critical moment. It is not appropriate to send troops to Bashu at this time. I think Yue will attack Chu instead of Bashu."
"What do you mean?"
"After Chu conquered Yue, it occupied a lot of Yue's old territories. If Yue wants to prove its strength in front of the other vassal states, it should first take back these territories." Wei Liao thought the same as Jia Xu.
"That makes sense. Then we will send 10,000 elite soldiers to Bashu."
The King of Qin quickly reached a conclusion, which was a compromise and also an explanation to Shang Yang.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Wei Liao also breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not want to completely offend Shang Jun.
…
Chu State, Shouchun.
The past year has also been a year of disasters for the State of Chu.
Three monarchs were replaced.
In March 228 BC, which was March last year, King You of Chu, Mi Han , died. His brother from the same mother, Xiong You, succeeded him as King Ai of Chu.
King Ai of Chu was killed by the retainers of his half-brother Fu Chu after being in power for only two months .
There was civil strife in the Chu State, and Fu Chu proclaimed himself King of Chu, becoming King Fu Chu of Chu.
He was also the last king of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period.
After the diplomatic delegation from the Kingdom of Yue returned to Shouchun, King Fu Chu of Chu immediately summoned Ling Yin Ren Ni to the palace to discuss matters.
In the State of Chu, Ling Yin was the highest official title.
The Lingyin holds the reins of power in a country. Being in a high position, he leads the people, presides over state affairs internally and wars externally, and holds all military and political power in his hands.
Equivalent to the position of Prime Minister of Qin State.
After King Ai of Chu died, the previous Prime Minister Li Yuan was killed along with his entire family by King Fu Chu of Chu.
"Ling Yin, what attitude do you think the State of Chu should adopt towards the State of Yue?" asked King Fu Chu of Chu.
"According to what the envoys have seen along the way, Yue is not a cause for concern, but it is aggressive by nature. We must strengthen our defenses in the old territories of Wuyue and Yangyue and station a large army to prevent Yue from jumping into desperate situations."
Ren Ni’s answer was quite standard.
Although this man is the confidant of the King of Chu, he does not have any great talents.
The King of Chu raised his eyebrows and said, "Does Ling Yin really think that Yue dares to provoke Chu?" He is still living in the dream of a powerful country and has not woken up yet.
"this……"
Ren Ni was speechless for a moment and his face turned red.
…
Longchuan City, Royal Palace.
In the imperial study, Qin Mo was also summoning Prime Minister Jia Xu.
"Look at this."
Qin Mo pointed to a memorial on the table.
Jia Xu picked it up and took a look. It was written by Bai Hua, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue. It was mainly about selecting agricultural officials from among the foreigners and sending them to various tribes.
There is no doubt that
It has become a consensus among the royal court and the people to vigorously develop agriculture in all counties of Yue State and help the barbarians bid farewell to fishing and hunting civilization and fully enter agricultural civilization.
This is not only a practical need for food supply, but also a general trend in the development of civilization.
During the Nanyue Marquisate period, as the chief historian of the marquisate, Jia Xu was responsible for promoting farming in Nanhai County and sending farmers to assist various tribes in reclaiming wasteland and planting various crops.
Today,
Some results have been achieved and the problem of food and clothing has been basically solved.
But it is obvious that both the efficiency and the intensity of the implementation were a little worse than expected. After the founding of the country, the matter fell on the Ministry of Revenue.
This is why Bai Hua wrote this memorial.
In the memorial, Bai Hua suggested setting up agricultural officials who were specifically responsible for assisting tribes in reclaiming wasteland and handling agricultural affairs, and who would be stationed in each tribe for a long time to provide one-on-one guidance.
In order to motivate outstanding people, Bai Hua suggested that the probation period should be one year, and those agricultural officials who have performed effectively should be promoted to the positions of county lieutenant and county magistrate on a priority basis.
It seems to be selecting talents, but in fact it hits the players' sore spot.
Want to get an official position?
Well then, go and be a pawnbroker.
The assessment indicators are also very simple. The more wasteland reclaimed in a year and the higher the crop yield, the better the results.
It's that direct.
After reading it, Jia Xu's face was full of praise, "This is a very good move. I agree with it very much."
The South Vietnamese army's food and grass supply has always relied on Qin Mo's tricks.
This is not a long-term solution after all.
In the long run, achieving food self-sufficiency should be a major development plan for the State of Yue.
"Then call the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue to draw up a charter as soon as possible." Qin Mo was also very straightforward. He did not expect that Bai Hua had such talent and could come up with such an idea.
"promise!"
Jia Xu had no choice but to do so, as this was the duty of the prime minister.
"Relying solely on the barbarians to open up the wasteland is a long-term goal. In the short term, we have to take over the land of Bashu and obtain a large and stable granary." Qin Mo began to get restless again.
"Has your Excellency made a plan?" Jia Xu has slowly adapted to Qin Mo's fast pace.
I know that Gongshang is a person who can't sit still.
Qin Mo nodded, "Wait until the Nanyue soldiers' vacation is over and assemble in Chuanbei County immediately."
"All the South Vietnamese troops?" Jia Xu was surprised.
"Yes, all of them."
Qin Mo's eyes were firm. "While Qin has not yet come to its senses, we must take over Bashu with a thunderous force."
Because Yelang State was located to the south of Bashu, the Qin State had less than 150,000 troops stationed in Bashu.
Qin Mo, however, wanted to mobilize 900,000 Nanyue troops to attack, in order to achieve a quick victory and not give Qin a chance to send reinforcements to rescue, so as to avoid a long tug-of-war.
To the South Vietnamese Army,
Qin Mo was not very confident, especially since his opponent was the famous Qin Army. There was a huge gap between them in terms of military training and the level of generals.
The only way to decide the outcome is to use the absolute advantage in military strength and fight in one battle.
"I understand, your Highness."
Jia Xu also knew that opportunities were fleeting.
Qin Mo stood up and looked out the window, his eyes already fixed on the Central Plains, muttering to himself: "Let the Battle of Bashu be the prelude to Yue's official entry into the Warring States hegemony stage."
Low profile,
This has never been Qin Mo's style.
The current situation in the Warring States period does not allow Yue to keep a low profile. If it does not talk about Qin and try to pull out its teeth from its mouth, it will not arouse the will of the Shandong countries to resist Qin.
Severe illness,
We should use strong medicine.
…
Over the next two months,
Qin Mo was only busy with one thing, which was to raise food and fodder for the 900,000 troops that were going to the expedition.
In order to meet the army's supply needs, Qin Mo not only had to fill up the granaries in various counties one by one, but also had to fill up the more than 100 granaries temporarily set up in Chuanbei County.
With an army of 900,000, the daily consumption of rice alone amounts to over one million kilograms.
It is impossible for soldiers to eat only rice. They also need to prepare vegetables, meat, sauces, etc., as well as feed and fodder for livestock.
An entire granary is eaten up every day.
In addition to food and supplies, Qin Mo also had to prepare marching tents, siege equipment and other war supplies.
The total budget is around one billion.
Fortunately, the land of Baiyue is rich in resources. After Tianshu intervened, the Baiyue resources are being developed to the maximum extent and then turned into reality.
Even so,
Faced with the reality of an extremely huge market, there is still a shortage of supply.
This was also the reason why Qin Mo had the confidence to start the Battle of Bashu immediately after ending the Battle of Yelang. Having a steady supply of food and supplies was the biggest advantage of the Nanyue Army.
Just like the nomadic armies in history that had no logistical pressure.
…
August 1st, early morning.
Under the personal command of Qin Mo, the First Corps of the South Vietnamese Army, as the vanguard, was the first to charge into the nearby Ba County, thus marking the beginning of the war.
It was also the beginning of the struggle for hegemony between Qin and Yue.
